Playing Matchmaker
by TheWolf-RabbitDoubt
Summary: Sakura was afraid she was going to choke all over again. "Hahaha." She giggled nervously. "Me? You must be crazy. This is like, a seriously lame joke you guys. Not funny at ALL." Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. "Whoever said it was a joke Sakura? Hn. And I thought you would have taken this request more seriously." Sasusaku.
1. The Request

Playing Matchmaker

"_I...I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me…there would be no regrets. Because every day, we'd do something fun. We'd be happy, I swear! Please, stay with me. I'll even help you with your revenge. I don't know what I could do but I'll try my best to do something. So please, stay with me, or take me with you if you can't stay here." Her tears continued to stream down her face as she said those words._

_ He couldn't just leave her like this. She wanted him to stay. No-she __**needed **__him to stay. He was her life. Her love. The only one that could fill up the loneliness in her now-breaking heart. The Uchiha turned around, now facing her. He sent her one of his well-known smirks. The moon shone brightly up in the night sky behind him. "You really are annoying." He began walking away. Sakura gazed after him anxiously. She had to find some way to make him stop. To prevent him from leaving Konoha. From leaving her._

_ "Don't leave! If you do, I'll scream." She didn't realize how true her words were until they escaped her lips. She really would scream, even if it meant getting him into trouble. As long as it allowed her to be with him longer, she didn't care what it took. In a flash, he was right behind her. All was suddenly quiet besides the gentle breeze that was blowing past them._ _Leaves began to fall from the neighboring trees. It remained like that for a few more moments._

_Sakura suddenly heard Sasuke murmur lowly into her ear, "Sakura…thank you." Her eyes slightly widened in surprise at his words. She suddenly felt something strike her at the back of her neck. 'Sasuke…' she thought as she fell onto the cold ground, unconscious. Everything abruptly went black. _

Sakura woke up in her bed, the sun shining in her emerald green eyes as she blinked at the bed room window directly a few feet in front of her. She glanced at the alarm clock on the drawer next to her bed. She groaned as she kicked the covers off of her legs. 'I am so going to be killed by Tsunade.' She thought. This was going to be the third time that she arrived late at the hospital. She recalled the last threat she had received from her mentor for not getting to work on time. She shivered and subconsciously made her movements quicker upon replaying the scene in her head.

She turned on her television to the news as she waited for the water to become hot in the shower. "Today will be sunny with a temperature of twenty six degrees Celsius. Light showers will be occurring Monday through Friday. Saturday will be cloudy, winds forty-five to fifty miles per hour. Scattered thunderstorms." She yawned, still exhausted from the night before as she watched the weatherman read aloud the week's forecast. She had been forced to stay overtime, filling out papers for the recent patients attending the hospital.

She remembered how she used to stay late and never get back home until four o'clock in the morning, waking up just two hours later to head once again back to the hospital. Or all of the countless days that she would stay up, not getting a wink of sleep in a seventy two hour period. Yep, those were the good days. The days when she actually got to help someone in dire need. But now since the Fourth Shinobi World War was over, the Ten-Tails defeated and all of the nations joining together in peace, nobody seemed too injured enough to visit the hospital anymore besides the occasional one to two people(one of them normally being Naruto with his troublemaker self) that would come in with minor cuts and bruises.

And even though it may have been wrong, Sakura wished she could have found someone that was sick or who was knocking on death's door. Someone that would let her use her medical ninja skills to heal them back to health. A challenge. That was what she was searching for. A challenge between death, time, and herself. "If only." She muttered, knowing her wish was too good to be true. I mean, shouldn't she be happy anyway that everybody was living healthy and enjoying their lives instead of being cooped up in a hospital bed? Less work and stress for her, right?

She exhaled. God, didn't she need something to preoccupy her time with. Something exciting. Fun. Not as dull as filling out hundreds of paperwork. She grabbed the remote to switch off the TV and headed towards the bathroom, seeing the steam from the hot water peer out of the crack of her bathroom door.

* * *

She sneezed as she stepped into the hospital. It hadn't been the first time she sneezed since she had left her apartment either. She figured she must have gotten a summer cold, the worst cold of them all. Her hands were stuffed into her pockets and her head was tilted low as she stepped through the small crowds of people that were here and there throughout the hospital. She was barely inside her office when a new nurse seemingly appeared out of nowhere, notifying Sakura that the hokage wanted to meet with her immediately.

Sakura, having a feeling it was another scolding for her being late and her sensei actually fulfilling her word on making Sakura buy Naruto ramen for the next eight months as punishment, reluctantly set her purse on her desk and went to Tsunade's office. She hesitated on opening the door when she reached her destination. Should she lie and say that she had felt sick and decided to not go to work until the last minute? That would've been partially true. She didn't feel all that well as of now. Or... maybe she should just run while she still had the chance.

She was agreeing more with the latter when the door suddenly opened up, picking her choice for her. The words came fumbling out instantly. "I'm sorry Tsunade sensei. I was feeling rather ill this morning and almost didn't come but then thought about all of the dear, sweet patients and-"

"Save it." Tsunade said, not looking up from her desk as she signed a piece of paper. Sakura stood there silently. "Aren't you going to come in Sakura-Chan?" A voice Sakura knew all too well asked her. She finally acknowledged the blonde's presence. He was the one to have opened the door for her. 'He must have sensed me my chakra.' She guessed, a little exasperated. If it wasn't for him, she could be well on her way back to her apartment right now. She walked into the room, not even bothering to look and see if anyone else was accompanying them as she went to the coffee machine and got a cup of coffee, planning on drinking it to help her swallow the pill she had brought from her office. She hoped that the medicine would cease her sneezes and coughs.

"Now Sakura," she heard her mentor say behind her, "I made the option to excuse the tardiness." Sakura smiled as the cup reached her lips, the pill already inside of her mouth. "Thank you sensei. I am very grateful-" She was suddenly cut off by Tsunade. "Let me finish. I made the option to excuse your tardiness on one condition." Sakura arched her eyebrow, halting herself from pouring the cup's contents into her mouth. "A condition?" Sakura repeated. What exactly was this condition? "Or rather request...for someone else." Tsunade continued.

Sakura couldn't help but to notice the faint wicked smirk that graced her hokage's lips. "Well now," Tsunade began. "Do you remember your old teammate Sasuke Uchiha?" Sakura's eyes were now full of suspicion. Of course she remembered Sasuke. Heck, she used to be in love with the boy. Or rather man. He certainly _wasn't _a boy when she last saw him. Not the good, nice boy that she grew up with. He was a cold blooded killer that even tried to murder her and the whole entire village at one point. Yet, he chose to fight alongside his Konoha generation against Madara and Obito during the war.

He had claimed that he wanted to be hokage in honor of his brother. Then why is it that he chose to up and leave Konoha the day after the war was officially over? Sakura had pondered this thought for weeks until she had finally realized something. Why did it matter? She didn't love him anymore. After all of the shit that he had put her through, he didn't deserve her love. _She _deserved better.

Therefore, she never questioned anybody to where his location was or why he had decided to leave in the first place. It was none of her concern nor business. And Tsunade, of course, knew of Sakura's new change of heart towards the Uchiha.

Sakura paused before answering. "…Yes. Might I ask why you asked?" Tsunade's grin only grew wider. Sakura suddenly heard a giggle emit from Naruto, who stood next to her. Ok, that was enough to clear it up. Something fishy was going on there… Everything was quiet in the office except for the constant oh-so-evil-chuckles that were being created by Naruto and Tsunade. They kept on for a few minutes. The suspense was killing Sakura. She slammed her cup near the coffee machine on the table, an angry vein on her left temple pulsing. "WHAT IS IT?!"

Tsunade grimaced at Sakura for yelling at her but decided that it couldn't be helped. She was pretty sure that she herself would've been agitated if her best friend and sensei was laughing at her for some apparent unknown hilarious, interesting reason. "I must add that I don't see what's so funny about my request at all." A deep voice said from a chair in front of Tsunade's desk. The voice sounded so familiar to Sakura but she couldn't lay a finger on it as much as she tried to recognize who the owner of the voice was. The back of the chair kept her from seeing the person's face.

Tsunade's grimace only deepened into a glare. "Why don't you tell her what it is then? I'd probably only get half of the request out of my mouth before laughing my ass off to oblivion. It's just too amusing for me since her opinion of you has changed." She laughed after finishing her sentence. The unknown person in the chair exhaled briefly before slowly turning around the chair, finally giving away their identity to Sakura.

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat. I-it was him! Sasuke Uchiha. She was suddenly reminded of her dream. The memory of when he had left her and Konoha behind for a dark and powerful future. She clenched her fists. The bastard. She watched him as he looked her up and down, from head to toe. "I have a request." He stated, scrutinizing her. 'Naw dip Sherlock. Hasn't that been the whole point of this conversation since Tsunade sensei told me?' Sakura couldn't help but to think. She mentally rolled her eyes before tuning back on him. He momentarily glanced down at the floor.

She was suddenly peeked with interest. He almost looked like he was embarrassed to say the next sentence, something that was _hardly_ shown on any Uchiha's face. "I need a wife." Sakura stared blankly at him for several seconds before calmly picking up her cup of coffee again. She glanced down at the cup as she lifted it up near her jaw. She showed no emotion as she said her next words. "I refuse."

**A/N: Hello! Hope you liked the chapter. It's a school night and 1:00 a.m. (I know, bad me) so please forgive me if there is any mistakes. Anybody else wonder where our Sasuke's been at?^^ Please review! I accept criticism. Thanks! SasuSaku forever!**


	2. Oh, So That's What You Meant?

Oh…So That's What You Meant By That?

"I refuse." Everyone was quiet in the room after Sakura gave her response. She carefully examined their expressions. Naruto's and Tsunade's was one of amusement. Sasuke's…well, his was a mixture of sorts. Some of the emotions that were flashing across his features made Sakura shiver. She could feel the anger literally radiating off of him. His bangs covered his eyes as he said his next words, his tone sounding sharp and menacing, reminding Sakura of a snake with piercing fangs. He pinched the bridge of his nose to further emphasize his aggravation. "I hope you were not too foolish into believing that I was referring to you, or rather 'proposing' to you, when I said I needed a wife."

Sakura's left eyebrow arched. She was utterly confused. 'Wait. If that's not what he meant, then…?' Sasuke glared at her through his bangs. "You should really let people finish, Sakura, before assuming things." He said, a sigh following after his sentence. "I was not asking for _your _hand in marriage. What I want is the exact opposite. I want you to help me find a bride. Since you were a great friend of mine in the past, I trust you above any other female in town to aid me in this mission. I have also heard deeply about the 'opinion change' that your hokage spoke of. Because of that, I know that during the search for my bride you will not -or at least that is what I am hoping- exhibit any feelings towards me and thus not cling to me as other females would do, which would be getting in my way."

Sakura's eyes went wide. She was shocked at what he was asking her to do. So shocked in fact, that the coffee that she had been currently drinking while he finished his last statement, suddenly got stuck in her throat, along with the pill. She began choking on it, gasping for air. She placed her hands around her throat, signaling that she was choking. Naruto, unfortunately, was the first one to react. "Sakura! Don't worry, I'll save you!" He yelled.

'This can't be good.' Sakura thought worriedly, now more concerned about the alerted Naruto that was coming closer and closer towards her rather than the pill that was still hitched in her throat. She removed her right hand from her throat and began to frantically wave it in the air, trying to tell Naruto to stop. But it was too late. Konoha's number one hyperactive ninja was suddenly on her back, compressing his palms on either sides of her neck. 'WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS MOTHERFUC-

[PAUSE!]

Due to inappropriate chaos and explicit language being used towards a character, though 'mentally,' we have blocked off this scene for special purposes. So instead, we will talk about the joys of life and the great gift of youth. Everything started out in it's youth, back when it was born. We all started out as an egg that was fertilized by a seed which came from our father. Where did the seed come from you ask? That I can assure you, you can figure out by peeping in on your mom and dad every once and a while. Anyway, we are just like plants. We slowly grow from little sprouts into matured, tall, beautiful flowers that will blossom into even more beauty each year. Now, if you'd take a sec-Ahem. It seems that it is safer now to return to the story. I hope you enjoyed this little lesson about youthfulness today.

[RESUME!]

This was how he was attempting to save her life?

'More like taking my life!' Sakura thought angrily. He wasn't helping at all. He was only making it worse. He was choking her for crying out loud! She could feel some of her hair being ripped out due to the death grip he had on it. She couldn't breathe.

She began to come in a panicked state. Was she really about to be murdered by the hands of her idiotic blonde friend just because of his ignorance? Shows how great her life is. "NARUTO, YOU BAKA! YOU'RE KILLING HER!" Tsunade screamed, punching Naruto in the face and causing him to fly off into the opposite wall. She wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist and began to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her.

Sakura, after a few thrusts, spat the pill out. She was still spewing out the coffee when she finally noticed the entertained expression on Sasuke's face. He shook his head in mock sadness. "You and dobe sure are amusing." She was pretty sure he had been smirking the whole entire time she was choking. If he had been though, his smirk was now gone, replaced with a serious look. "So Sakura, what will it be? Are you willing to help me find the woman that will bring a new heir to the Uchiha clan?" Sakura felt like slapping him. Did he seriously expect her to comply with his request after he just got through practically laughing in her face for choking?!

This guy must really be dumber than he lets on if that's what he truly thinks. Plus, why would he want _her _of all people to help him find a bride? Wasn't she supposed to be the most aggravating woman in his life? Or perhaps…perhaps he is just bluffing? Joking about this whole entire request. That's it. She chuckled to herself. "OK. I've got to admit, you had me there for a second." Tsunade looked at Sakura inquiringly. "What do you mean Sakura? Look, I know this is probably overwhelming for you but I am assigning this as your latest mission. Out of all of the nations who have signed an alliance and decided to unite as one, Otogakure is the only village who hasn't. We _need _the alliance.

"The council members of Otogakure refuse to unify with the other nations and villages but it is willing to make an alliance with Konoha. As long as we allow their kage to find a bride in our own village or in one of the other villages that we are united with." Sakura couldn't hide the amazed expression she had. 'Sasuke as _kage_?' She thought. "And if you decide to reject this mission, I will triple the time you have to buy Naruto ramen and dump the dullest of paperwork on your desk each day for you to turn into me every morning as soon as you check in at work." Sakura was stunned. The more she heard and thought about it, the more the whole subject seemed to be a complete joke to her.

Why was this of all things having to be shoved down unto her shoulders? Why?! This had to be a joke. She didn't want to have anything to do with him! Screw past friendship. He had tried to kill her, her friends, and family. Not only that but he deceived her, broke her heart, her soul, broke her everything! Sakura was afraid she was going to choke all over again. Except this time, on air itself. _'It's just a joke. Joke. Joke. Joke.'_

"Hahaha." She giggled nervously. "Me? As a matchmaker? You must be crazy. This is like, a seriously lame joke you guys. Not funny at ALL." Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together. "Whoever said it was a joke Sakura? Hn. And out of everyone else here, I thought you'd have taken this request more seriously."

Sakura just stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. Sasuke breathed. This was going nowhere. He stood up from the seat and began walking towards her. He halted when he was a foot away from her. He was a lot taller than Sakura remembered. If she still had been interested, Sakura might would have noticed the quite obvious fact that he was hotter, too. "Sakura, let's cut to the chase. We both don't like each other. I find you annoying and you more or less hate my guts. But if there's one thing we both have in common besides strongly disliking each other, it's that we can hold tolerance and even some patience, if the price is set right for it.

"My reward for tolerance and patience, in this case, is getting to revive the Uchiha clan. Yours? Well, I believe Tsunade has said enough. You don't get stuck with the dobe and you don't have to stay up late doing tons of meaningless paperwork for hours and hours into the night." He suddenly shrugged. "And you never know. You might even find an odd twist of excitement from helping me find a bride." Sakura began to speak in protest but he silenced her by raising his hand. He continued. "But we both know that these things alone won't simply satisfy you, will they? Therefore, I have an incentive of my own to try and bribe you with. If you help me find for what I am seeking for I will pay you 97500000.00 yen."

Sakura's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "N-ninety…" She began to stutter out. Did he know the amount of medical supplies she could buy with that much money? How many lands she could travel to heal people? Or the abundance of dresses and beauty products she could buy with those kind of bucks?! He had most definitely won her over but yet, she kept her mouth closed for a few more seconds, deciding on something. She wasn't going to let him know that he had won so easily. She didn't want him to see how simple it was to trap her inside of his web.

She looked away from him to the ground, a demanding look on her face. "I also want access to my own quarters when I travel with you. I refuse to share rooms or beds with anyone else, _especially _you. I am to be allowed to go wherever I want and when I want when I am not working on the mission. That includes no ninjas or bodyguards following after me. Strictly privacy. Got it?" She asked him, very sincere. He seemed a little objective at some of her requests but in the end just nodded his head in response. She paused for a brief moment before looking him directly in the eyes. "I also want confirmation that you are in fact not scheming a terrorist attack against Konoha."

"Sakura," Tsunade began, obviously disapproving of Sakura's wish, but Sasuke went ahead and answered her. "If I were to fail in finding a bride and destroy the alliance between Otokagure and Konoha over a selfish act such as that, many powerful rogue ninjas would be out to get me. Both from each village. Otokagure is in need of wealth and of more supplies. If we make the alliance, we can barter with Konoha, along with a few other nations. The benefit for Konoha is that it can be reassured that we have made peace with them and will not start a war. If I were to mess up this alliance, many angry men and women would be searching for me. Why would I want to inflict any harm upon myself? Besides, I have left my hatred in the past. It was a past generation of elders that led to the massacre of my clan. Not today's generation."

Sakura let out a 'humph.' "You better have left it in the past because if I see you pluck a single hair off of any of my friends' bodies, I will kick you so hard in between the legs that you wouldn't have to worry about reviving your clan anymore. You would no longer have the privilege to own what the human male needs in order to produce babies." She still didn't trust him. That was pretty evident. She had a very bad gut feeling about this whole entire mission. She sighed to herself. But she would put up with the psychotic, egotistical Uchiha if it allowed her to go venture into other countries that were sure to need her help in fighting off diseases in sick patients. Countries that would allow her to compete in the challenge that she was so desperate for.

Yes, she would tolerate him…for now anyways. Sasuke smirked at her words, appearing to be entertained by them, in a strange sense. "Is that all?" Sakura asked Tsunade, who was currently crouched over Naruto, tending to the huge goose egg that was forming on his head from the impact. "Yes. There will be a file laid on your desk that will go into further detail about the mission when you get back to your office. You are now dismissed." Tsunade said over her shoulder to the pink haired woman. Sakura didn't even bother saying good bye as she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

It wasn't until she was back into her office and staring down at the file on her desk that realization hit her: _What had she just gotten herself into? She just agreed to be the great and notorious Uchiha Sasuke's matchmaker._

* * *

Rain showered from up above, making Sakura cold and getting her soaked. 'Light showers my ass.' Sakura thought, agitated. She recalled the news channels' forecast, which was evidently bull crap. She was now running through a thunderstorm on the week's Monday, already having to start on the mission early in the morning due to Sasuke wanting to be prompt. So far she had no luck, most of the village women appearing to be out of town or already having a lover. Honestly, she didn't even know how to be a matchmaker. So how was she going to know the one fit for Sasuke when the time came?! She sighed before having a look of determination overflow her features. That didn't matter. Right now, she needed to find someone that could at least be paired with him for the time being.

Sakura stopped in her tracks. She bended down, her hands resting on her knees, her breathing rapid. Was there even anyone out here in a storm such as this? 'Oh, he better be hoping there is.' She thought, grumbling. Forcing her to have to come out here with the weather being like this? In such a pathetic and life risking stage? He would definitely be dead if she couldn't find some fan girl chick out here. And that's when she heard it. The voice that sounded like music to her ears. The voice that just became Sasuke's savior. "Sup forehead? Come to buy any more of my flowers?" Sakura grinned madly at the ground. 'First person I pair with Sasuke Uchiha as I attempt to play matchmaker: Ino Yamanaka.' She thought, as she turned around to face Sasuke's first date.

**A/N: OK, guys, I know ya'll are probably ticked that Sasuke wasn't proposing to Sakura. Though, hence my title of the story, "Playing Matchmaker." I kind of left the ending of the first chp. like that on purpose so the reader would assume that but that wouldn't be the case. You might be asking why Sakura's change of heart would affect her not helping him with his request; well, I mean she hates him! Why would you help someone you hate? Unless out of bribery? ;) I didn't know if I made that clear enough. And thanks Tiger Priestess for adding me into a community! For that, I am dedicating this chapter to you! It was my first community ever!^^ :D But I hope you won't take me off now since I kind of flipped the tables, so to speak. Sorry, for any mistakes in this chap! Tired. And thanks for the lovely reviews I received from you guys! Thanks for the support! Bye! Don't forget to review! I accept criticism! P.S. I plan on updating weekly.**


	3. Flower Girl: Part 1

**Flower Girl**

Sakura gazed across the table, staring dully at the couple a few feet away. They were seated at their own table, the blonde lightly laughing at something the black-haired man had said just moments before. Sakura glanced back down at the napkin she had unfolded, her pen still in its place from where she had last paused during her little scribbles. She frowned as she gently picked up the napkin, her eyes narrowing at the pictures that she had subconsciously made from her dull state. It was a picture of the couple near her.

She groaned as she crumpled up the napkin, trying to find something else to preoccupy her time with. She glanced at the huge clock that was behind the cashier's head, above on the wall. _Seven fifty-two. _'Great. Another hour to go.' She thought exasperated. Why did she agree to do this again? Could someone _please_ remind her of why? She began to lightly tap her foot on the carpet floor. She was growing impatient, even after sitting at the table for only twenty minutes. She was tired. Hungry. She suddenly gritted her teeth. 'Sasuke bastard. Won't even let me eat.'

He wanted Sakura to be keeping notes mentally in her head while she closely observed them, wanting her to search for any signs of negativity coming from Ino whenever he said something to her or rather, didn't say anything to her. He wanted her to pay attention to key facts that Ino would say about herself. Facts that would perhaps become essential later on in the relationship. And apparently, observing someone very closely meant not eating food. She had looked at him astounded when he told her that. He claimed that he was 'afraid' that she'd miss something important if she were to try and eat while on the mission, seeing that back when they were kids and when she still harbored feelings for him, she would normally make the missions go awry because she'd often focus on him and not the mission itself.

Sakura scoffed to herself. Of course she would've been focused on him. She was a flirtatious girl that was going through the stage of uncooperative hormones at the time! Any other teenage girl would have acted the same way! Besides, how did eating food and crushing on a boy even associate with one another?! She rolled her eyes. She'd get him back for this. She was going to make sure that he fed her like a queen at one of the most expensive restaurants in Konoha after they got through with this blasted date.

She grabbed her pen and the small note pad that was on her lap, proceeding to jot down more notes of her observations. Honestly though, she couldn't understand why Ino decided to go out with Sasuke. Wasn't she the one that persuaded everyone else not to trust him when he appeared out of nowhere on the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi World War when they were going against the ten tails? Wasn't she the most to distrust him over anyone else? But yet, she didn't hesitate to give Sakura an answer when Sakura asked if she would go out with Sasuke.

She shook her head. Sakura just didn't know about this girl. One point Ino seems to hate Sasuke, and then at another point, she is totally head over heels for him. As she continued to watch them, she saw Ino suddenly have a grimace come upon her features. A few words escaped her lips before she stood up from her chair and headed outside. 'Here we go!' Sakura thought as she literally hopped out of her chair and ran towards Sasuke's table. She was supposed to have called Yamada, the new male nurse, at the hospital fifteen minutes ago to tell him some details about the hospitals procedures.

This was her only chance to do so, seeing that she didn't have a phone with her and Ino wasn't supposed to know that she was "stalking" her and Sasuke on their date. Sasuke had to admit that he was a little bit startled at Sakura's abrupt appearance. She had just about crashed into the table upon her arrival. "Hurry! I need to use your phone!" She hissed. He gave her a look. "What?"

She sighed. She didn't have time for questions! "Just give me your phone! Ask questions later!" She began to reach into his pocket, filling around for the small device. He snatched her hand away, gripping it harshly. What on Earth did she think she was doing?! "Don't ever let yourself come under the delusion that you can touch me whenever you like again." he spat. She rolled her eyes.

"Please."

"No."

"I need to call someone important."

"Then why don't you use your own phone?" She gave him an are-you-serious look.

"Oh, I don't know Sasuke. Perhaps because I don't have one! Why else would I ask?" He gave her a stern face at her response.

"No."

She groaned. She didn't need this. He asked for _her _help. Not the other way around. This call was too important. She placed her elbows on the table, leaning down towards him. "Fine. Have it your way. But you can kiss my cute lil' ass good bye." She started to get up from the table before she felt Sasuke once again encircle his hand around her wrist. "Where do you think you are going?" he inquired.

"What does it appear like? I'm leaving. I need to find a place that I can call the hospital at."

She tried to wrangle off the Uchiha's grip on her to no avail. "Let me go." she snarled. He ignored her.

"You don't have a ride."

"Guess I'll be jumping into some strangers car." she muttered back, which to tell you the truth, she wasn't above on doing at all.

"If you go, I'll discontinue your place on the mission."

"OK. Sounds great to me."

"You do understand that if I do that, you'll have to hang out with the dobe for the next year and extra work will be placed on your shoulders."

She simply shrugged. "I've had worse. It's better than Tsunade sensei giving me a beating. Besides, Naruto ain't that bad and as for the work? Well, I guess I can't complain. At least it's something to do other than watching soap operas and eating bowls of ice cream around the house all day. Wouldn't want me to get fat, now would we?" She half smirked. "I bet you're glad to be getting me off of your chest anyway, huh, hot shot?"

She continued smirking as she glanced out the window to see Ino coming back, her purse in tow. 'So that's what she went out there for.' Sakura thought.

Sasuke stared at her in disbelief before handing the phone over. Sakura couldn't help but to look mystified as she inspected the phone. It was rather plain, unlike any of the other mobiles that she had seen him own. It was an ordinary black phone, not an itouch with many apps and games like the newest phones that her friends had been ranting on about for the past few months. It reminded her of the cell phones back in the early 2000's. She assumed Sasuke noticed her curious expression because he said, "Ino told me during our phone call that she wouldn't tolerate receiving any expensive gifts from me. Nothing too extravagant like dresses and other frills.

"Unbeknownst to her though, I had learned that she didn't have a cell since the caller I.D. I had received the phone call from was from a payphone at a store near her family's flower shop. So I decided to buy her one. Though it won't be mentioned that I did. I will claim it's a phone that used to be mine in case she decides that she doesn't want me to buy her anything period on the first few dates."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked him.

"How do I know what?"

"How do you know that Ino doesn't have a cell phone? For all you know, she could've just left it at her house that day and chose to call you there." But even as Sakura was finishing her sentence, Sasuke was already answering her question. "You should've expected me to have already thought of that. I confirmed it as I drove her here, drawing it up in casual conversation. Now if you will, before she comes in and spots you, be careful with the phone and go hurry with that call of your's."

"If this is so important, why won't you let me borrow your phone instead?"

It was Sasuke's turn to show her an are-you-serious expression. "Isn't it quite obvious? I didn't bother to bring one with me. I didn't want anyone to interrupt my date. Just like what you are doing right now."

_Oh. _'That explains why he was acting so reluctant to let me use the phone.' She thought.

"You can trust me." she said to him as she dialed the number into the phone and left the table, right as the flower girl was coming back in. 'Maybe.' She added mischievously in her head as she entered the women's restroom. If only she knew how true her thought really was! She walked into the fourth stall, having the oddest feeling of comfort from being in the closed space. She somehow felt that if she were in the stall, she could gain more privacy. As if nobody would be able to hear her talking through the two six foot panels on the right and left sides of her and the door that was in front of her if they were to come in.

The ringing that she had been currently hearing abruptly stopped and a deep male voice was heard on the other line. "Hello?" the voice asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outside of the restaurant at the back entrance(which is where the women's bathroom just so happened to be near), there was a group of preteens starting fire to some fire crackers and rockets that one of the young lad's uncles gave them. "Where do you want to set them off at?" One kid asked the biggest kid of them all. "Hm... how about near that dumpster over there?" All of the kids looked at one other. "Fine with me." "Me too." Several others began to chime in.

"Then it's settled. Set it off over there." The bigger child said to the younger one. The younger one obeyed, placing the firecracker on the ground and lighting it. But something must have been put up wrong or the firecracker was bought wacked because it tipped over on the ground as the child backed away. It began shooting at the wall of a nearby restaurant. A huge booming noise was followed. The little sparks were blowing everywhere! "Duck!" someone screamed. All of the kids began to run around, jostling into each other and screaming at the top of their lungs.

* * *

Sakura looked revolted as she stared at the inside of the toilet before her. Excrement was stained at the edges and center of the toilet bowl and some blood was smeared on the seat. The previous user of the stall also gave her the delight to get to see what exactly came out of there system after eating towers of beef and corn. A pungent stench emitted from the bowl, making her want to vomit. She wrinkled her nose at the smell. 'For such an expensive restaurant, you would've thought that they'd keep up with their bathrooms.'

"What do I do?" she heard the man say. She suddenly flushed with embarrassment. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't hear-" She was cut off by a sudden loud noise echoing through her ears. The noise sounded like a bomb going off. It startled her, to say the least, and she backed into the wall. Her hand lost it's grasp on the phone and the hand held device disappeared into the toilet bowl, underneath the mixture of urine, toilet paper, and mess.

'_**Aw**__ **shit.'**_ She thought. She was _so _dead.

**A/N: Two words: Writer's block! I am SO sorry for the REALLY late update! I really was trying to type another chapter, but my brain was just like, "Dum-Dada-DUM!" Couldn't think! I decided not to make any promises except that I WILL try my hardest to update whenever I can! Thanks! God bless! Please remember to review or give me criticism! I lap it up like a cat who laps up milk from a shiny silver bowl! :3 Til next time!- TheWolf-RabbitDoubt**


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